Happy Halloween!

In trying to get caught up and be current with blogging I'm just going to throw this post and a bunch of pics up now then catch up all that's happened before this (nothing huge, no big announcements or anything, no worries) later on.
We of course had to start Halloween off by going to Gardner Village to see the witches last week.  Crowded, but a good time had by all.

Man they're adorable! 

We had more Halloween fun last Thursday with the annual little party thing at the pool I work at.  A little haunted house they walk through that all the kids did great in (past years Mckayla wouldn't go in), games in the gym, then a giant cookie and drink at the end.

Aren't they just the cutest?  Yeah I think so too :)

Katie is getting so big

Talmage was full of poses for us.

Yes you saw a beach ball on this belly of mine.  That was my costume for my 2 water fitness classes I teach on Thursdays.

This is one of my very favorite patrons, Suzanne, who dressed up for the class that night too.  She has lost over 100lbs on her own and keeps it off.  She works out way more than I do right now!  She's such a hard worker and I do love those

Friday afternoon we headed downtown to Grandma Marla's work for their fun activities.  They had 4 floors of trick or treating!  We only made it through 2 and the kids buckets were full.  They had fun decorating picture frames and enjoying some treats.  Thanks Grandma!

Fun! 

Right Talm?

Talm was SO excited to see another Transformer.  Meet Bumblebee.  Don't you just love their poses?  Be afraid

Saturday we went to a 5k and kids race Monster Dash.  I had wanted to do another very popular Halloween race, but it just didn't work out, so we did this instead.  And it was lots of fun too.  A free kids race after which Talm and Kate ran (Mckayla not interested I guess).  I certainly did not win the race (actually had some pretty bad kidney pain we're looking into, I seem fine today though and baby is great, no worries), but I did win the costume contest!  :)  I ironicaly won a 25+lb pumpkin that they readily handed me.  Hey thanks  :)

Yes it was cold, but not bad until 20 minutes or so after the race.  Jer did a great job painting my belly the 3 times I needed it, this time freehand, no stencil penciling, but I think this version turned out the best.

After going out for breakfast with the kids we headed to Wheeler Farm for a cyclocross event going on.  Cyclocross is a cool mix of road and mtn biking where you have to jump off your bike to go over obstacles.  I SO want to try it!  They had a kid race that Talmage wanted to do so we signed him up.  Jer had to push him along several parts and his darn training wheel kept coming loose (we're actually putting time into teaching him to ride a 2 wheeler now that he's interested), but he had a good time and the girls hung out on the playground in the middle of the course the whole time + wonderful sunshine, it was a great time.

Dad helping him along

He had some added motivation getting to these pumpkins he could pummel through.  He loved that

Sweet happy boy.  I'm proud of him for wanting to do it and sticking through it (it was a long race, like 20 minutes!) and having a great time even being the slowest kid (which we of course didn't tell him, no reason to, he was there to have fun and try something new).

One of the sponsors there had a tent full of these balance bikes for kids to borrow and try.  We have a pink one for Kate but I didn't bring it.  Jer and I were observing the other kids riding them around and oh my word!  There were some maniac fast strider kids.  Really motivated us to get our kids out and riding more.  Anyway, Kate had a good time on this one and we even found her riding it up onto this rock, LOL!

Then of course Halloween actually came!  We started the day off with the kids Halloween parade at school.  It was a wierd moment to just be sitting there with Jer and Katie who is so not a little baby any more.  Seems like we've always had 2 kids with us and at least one as a baby.  Not so.....until next year anyway  :)

My mom made her this costume and it's cute of course with it's purple boas, but  special too because it's made entirely from fabric that was my Grandma Allan's.  She would love seeing my kids in their costumes.  

She loved her accessories (witch broom and skeleton necklace) and face paint and has cute purple and black striped socks which you can't see great but are there.  The great hat held a rat and a couple green bugs too

Just big handsome Talmy  :)

That night we went and visited my parents, Jer's dad, then headed back to our house once it was dark (Talm insisted we not go out till it was dark) and trick or treated the neighborhood.  Another one of those weird moments when we realized this is probably the first year since we started taking kids out that we didn't have a stroller.  Kate did great until the last little bit when she asked to go home.  So I carried her home and into the house where she promptly removed her costume in the living room, put her PJ's on, and crawled in our bed to watch a movie.  Guess Halloween just did her in!  Grandma Marla and Cam came over to visit us later than night which was great since the kids would have been completely asleep had we thrown them in the car.

Happy Halloween!!!